This is such a well-researched strategy! I'm impressed by how thoroughly you've thought through the IRMAA implications. I'm 63 and facing a similar decision with my spouse who's still working. One additional consideration that might be worth exploring: have you looked into Medicare Supplement (Medigap) insurance costs during this period? Since you're already paying higher Part B premiums due to IRMAA, you might want to compare whether a high-deductible Plan F or Plan G could help offset some of those costs while you're in the higher income brackets. Also, I noticed you mentioned having enough retirement savings to bridge the gap - have you considered whether any of that could be in the form of cash value life insurance or annuities? Those typically don't count toward MAGI for IRMAA purposes when you access the cash value, which could give you even more flexibility in managing your income during the waiting period. The fact that you're planning this far ahead puts you in such a great position. Most people don't realize the IRMAA impact until they're already locked into higher premiums!

This thread has been incredibly helpful for understanding IRMAA planning strategies! I'm 61 and my husband is 66, and we're in a very similar situation. He's still working and won't retire until late 2025, so we're also looking at the 2-year delay strategy. One thing I wanted to add that might help others - we discovered that even Required Minimum Distributions from inherited IRAs count toward your MAGI for IRMAA purposes. My husband inherited a traditional IRA from his father last year, and those RMDs are going to be part of our income calculation going forward. It's something that's easy to overlook when you're doing the math on regular retirement account withdrawals. Also, for anyone considering this approach - make sure to check if your employer offers any post-retirement health insurance options that could bridge the gap before Medicare. We found that my husband's company offers COBRA-like coverage for retirees that's actually pretty reasonable, which gives us more flexibility in our timing. The planning complexity around Social Security and Medicare coordination is mind-boggling, but threads like this make it so much clearer. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences!

Welcome to the community, and what an incredible learning experience this thread has been! As another newcomer, I'm amazed by how this situation unfolded and was ultimately resolved through community support and persistence. The bureaucratic maze at SSA is clearly a challenge many of us will face, but seeing how @Liam Murphy didn't give up and how everyone here provided such specific, actionable advice gives me hope. The detail about Form SSA-795 is gold - I had no idea there were specific forms for different types of payments to SSA. What really impressed me was how showing this discussion thread to the SSA representative actually helped speed up the resolution. It demonstrates the power of documented experiences and community knowledge in dealing with complex government processes. For future reference, I'm taking notes on the key points: use proper forms, send certified mail, be persistent with follow-ups, and don't hesitate to escalate when something clearly isn't working. This thread should definitely be pinned as a resource for anyone dealing with Social Security earnings limit issues! Thanks to everyone who contributed - this is exactly why online communities are so valuable for navigating these systems.

This entire thread is such a perfect example of why community knowledge is so powerful when dealing with SSA! As a newcomer here, I'm really impressed by how everyone came together to help solve this problem. What strikes me most is how a simple repayment check turned into such an ordeal, but the community's collective wisdom about Form SSA-795, proper documentation, and persistence really saved the day. The fact that showing this discussion thread to the SSA representative actually helped move things along is brilliant - it shows how shared experiences can become advocacy tools. I'm definitely taking notes on all the practical advice here: using certified mail, knowing about specific forms for different payment types, being persistent with follow-ups, and the banking perspective about stale-dated checks. These are insights you just don't get from official government websites. Congratulations on getting your benefits reinstated, @Liam Murphy! Thanks to everyone who contributed solutions - this is exactly the kind of supportive problem-solving that makes joining communities like this so worthwhile. I'm bookmarking this thread for sure!

Just joined this community after getting an unexpected $164.75 deposit yesterday! I was absolutely terrified it was some kind of mistake that would get me in trouble later. My regular SS payment already came through on schedule, so seeing this extra amount appear was both exciting and scary at the same time. After reading through everyone's experiences with the COLA adjustment payments, I finally feel like I can relax! It's so comforting to know this is happening to so many people and that it's actually money we're entitled to. You're all completely right that SSA needs to do a much better job communicating about these payments - even just adding "COLA ADJUSTMENT 2024" to the description would save so much panic and confusion. This community has been incredibly helpful - way more informative than anything I could find on the official websites. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and helping newcomers like me understand what's going on! I'll be watching my mailbox for that explanation letter.

I just joined this community today after receiving an unexpected $152.38 deposit from Social Security yesterday! Like so many others here, I was initially panicked thinking it might be an error that I'd eventually have to pay back. My regular monthly payment already came through on the 3rd, so seeing this additional amount was completely confusing. After reading through all these incredibly helpful comments about the COLA adjustment payments, I finally feel like I can breathe again! It's so reassuring to know this is happening to many people and that it's actually legitimate money we're entitled to. You're all absolutely right that SSA really should include even a basic explanation with these deposits - something as simple as "COLA ADJ 2024" would prevent so much unnecessary anxiety for all of us. This community has been far more informative than the official SSA website or trying to call their overwhelmed phone lines. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and helping newcomers like me understand what's happening! I'll be watching for that explanation letter in the mail.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! So relieved to hear my SSDI is safe. I'll definitely report this to SSA for record-keeping purposes and will look into quarterly tax payments. I'm going to try using that Claimyr service to reach someone at SSA tomorrow to get everything documented properly. Really appreciate all the advice!

Congratulations on the inheritance! Just wanted to add a few practical tips since you're moving forward with this: 1. Keep detailed records of all oil payments - dates, amounts, and source. You'll need this for tax filing and it's good to have documentation if SSA ever has questions. 2. Consider setting up a separate savings account just for the tax portion of these payments (usually 20-25% is a safe estimate to set aside). 3. The oil company should send you a 1099-MISC each year showing the total payments, which you'll use for tax filing. 4. Since you mentioned this has been generating income for 12 years that you didn't know about, make sure to get documentation of the full payment history from the oil company - you'll need this to properly report the back payments on your taxes. Good luck with everything, and smart move getting it all documented with SSA properly!

I'm a recent retiree who just went through this same Social Security acronym confusion! Here's what I learned that might help you: The key is to focus on YOUR specific situation rather than trying to learn every acronym. Since you mentioned being a teacher with a pension, here are the critical ones for your case: • **WEP** - This WILL affect you since you have a teacher's pension from non-SS covered employment • **Substantial Earnings** - You need 30 years of "substantial earnings" in SS-covered work to eliminate WEP entirely (or reduce it) • **Non-covered employment** - Your teaching years where you didn't pay SS taxes • **Covered employment** - Any other jobs where you DID pay SS taxes One thing that saved me huge headaches: when you call SSA, start the conversation by saying "I'm a teacher with a pension and I need help understanding how WEP affects my benefits." This immediately puts them in the right mindset to explain things clearly. Also, create a "my Social Security" account online if you haven't already - it will show your earnings record and help you count how many years of substantial earnings you have. This is crucial for understanding your WEP reduction. The acronym soup gets much less overwhelming once you realize you only need to master the handful that actually apply to your situation. You've got this!

I've been helping folks navigate Social Security paperwork for years, and you're absolutely right - it's like learning a foreign language! Here's my "survival guide" for the most essential acronyms you'll encounter: **The Big Four for Retirement Planning:** • **FRA** - Full Retirement Age (your "magic number" - usually 66-67) • **PIA** - Primary Insurance Amount (think of this as your "base salary" from SS) • **COLA** - Cost of Living Adjustment (the annual raise SS gives you) • **DRC** - Delayed Retirement Credits (8% bonus per year if you wait past FRA) **For Your Teacher Pension Situation:** • **WEP** - Windfall Elimination Provision (reduces your SS if you have a teacher pension) • **GPO** - Government Pension Offset (affects spousal benefits) • **Substantial Earnings** - The magic threshold ($31,275 for 2025) that can reduce WEP impact **Pro tip:** When you call SSA, say "I'm planning retirement and have a teacher's pension - can you explain this without using acronyms?" Most reps will switch to plain English immediately. The SSA website has improved their glossary recently, but honestly, talking to someone who can explain YOUR specific situation is worth the hold time. Don't feel bad about not knowing this stuff - they've been building this acronym tower for 90 years without thinking about us regular folks trying to understand it! You're smart to start learning this now rather than scrambling at retirement time. Take it one acronym at a time!